Construction begins on Russian Fishery’s fourth supertrawler

The keel of the fourth of 10 fishing “supertrawlers” being built for the Russian Fishery Company (RFC) has been laid at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The new trawler, Captain Martynov, is the sister vessel of the Mechanic Sizov, which had its keel laid in June. The first pair of vessels, the Captain Vdovichenko and the Mechanic Maslak, are on schedule to be commissioned next year.

“The entire series of vessels will be built in pairs, thus, starting next year, we will receive two new vessels annually,” RFC Deputy General Director for Fleet Construction Dmitry Sapov said. “We look forward to an increase in the pace of construction with each new pair.”

Each new vessel is designed with an annual catch capacity of 60,000 metric tons, which the company claims is more than twice as much as the current productivity of its vessels fishing in Russia’s Far East. The new vessels are also being built to maximum safety, minimize environmental impact, and provide a better work experience for the crew. Each of the vessels will be equipped with deep non-waste processing capabilities, primarily geared toward the processing of pollock fillet and surimi.

The company’s total investment in the company’s line of 10 new vessels is expected to exceed RUB 65 billion (USD 882 million, EUR 749 million).

Photo courtesy of Russian Fishery Co.